Telcos Roll Out 1600 Number Series to Authenticate BFSI Transactional Calls: Report

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said that the incumbent telecom operators have begun rolling out a dedicated “1600” number series for banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) companies. The move aims to help consumers easily identify genuine transaction and service calls, thereby enhancing the credibility of voice communications in the sector.

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Introduction of the 1600 Series

“Currently, we are focusing on the implementation of the 1600 series. This series has been allotted for transaction and service calls for the banking, financial and insurance (BFSI) sector,” TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti told ETTelecom.

Lahoti reportedly noted that the 1600 series initiative in the BFSI sector will “give a lot of credibility” to voice calls and consumers can identify it as a transactional service, and not meant for a promotional purpose.

Current Implementation Status

“The work is in progress, so the number series has been given to the service providers and now the principal entities are taking the numbers from them. We have also requested the respective sectoral regulators to advise the entities regulated by them for early adoption of this system,” Lahoti was quoted as saying in the report.

According to the regulator, some of the BFSI players, such as the State Bank of India (SBI) Card, have already begun adopting the new numbering system. TRAI plans to eventually mandate the use of this series for all service and transactional calls from large commercial entities within the BFSI sector.